On 14 August 1992, Hans-Joachim Ilchmann and his wife Gerlinde founded ILCHMANN Fördertechnik GmbH (IFT), based in Bickenbach an der Bergstraße – located between Frankfurt am Main and Heidelberg. At this point, Hans-Joachim Ilchmann had many years of experience at the North German plant manufacturer Förderanlagen und Maschinenbau Wilhelmshaven (FMW), where he was most recently an authorised signatory on the management board and head of the FMW-SÜD office in Darmstadt – a former division of SCHENCK.
IFT made a clear statement right from its first orders: for its customer CARGILL, which was building a new oil mill in Salzgitter, IFT took on the comprehensive planning and selection of the conveyor technology. This project was groundbreaking – both from a technical point of view and for the future development of the company.
The early days of ILCHMANN Fördertechnik were initially characterised by pure consulting services. During this phase, third-party products were still used, in particular chain conveyors from TRAMCO Inc., which had already been used in the CARGILL Salzgitter project. TRAMCO conveyors, well established in the US grain and oilseed industry, were therefore the ideal partner for the early IFT projects.
Over the years, IFT has continued to develop – from a consulting company to a specialised conveyor manufacturer. The product range is constantly being expanded and supplemented with special conveyor technologies, such as the gridle pocket elevator, an earlier development by SCHENCK.
1999 – IFT receives its first major order outside Germany: IFT supplies CARGILL Donetsk in Ukraine with all the conveyor technology for a new oil mill with a processing capacity of 1,500 tonnes of sunflower seeds per day – a total of 42 conveyors. This project marks the end of almost seven years of collaboration with TRAMCO. From now on, IFT develops and designs all conveyors itself – ‘Made in Germany’.
For the first time, the entire design is no longer done on the drawing board, but with AutoCAD on the PC. All components – chain conveyors, bucket elevators and screw conveyors – are developed in-house, manufactured by certified contract workshops in Germany and delivered to Ukraine under our own management.
1 July 2000 – IFT signs an exclusive representation agreement for the European distribution of ‘HiRoller Enclosed Belt Conveyors’ – enclosed, self-cleaning belt conveyors from the US manufacturer HiRoller in Sioux Falls, SD. The collaboration, which emerged from the project in Donetsk, enables both companies to combine their strengths on the European market – a real win-win situation.
01.11.2002 – Dipl.-Ing. Tim Ilchmann joins the family business, forming the second generation at ILCHMANN Fördertechnik. After studying mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Darmstadt, he starts in the sales department. There he gains extensive practical experience through direct contact with customers from a wide range of industries.
10/2007 – Tim Ilchmann is granted general power of attorney.
01/2008 – Introduction of state-of-the-art 3D CAD workstations.
02/2009 – Certification according to DIN ISO 9001
2009 – After just a few weeks of short-time working, IFT survives the global financial crisis without layoffs.
11/2010 – Major order from FERROSTAAL – 52 conveyors for BUNGE in Mannheim
12/2010 – Groundbreaking ceremony for the new office building at Berta-Benz-Straße 4 in Bickenbach
10/2011 – Move into the new office building
10/2012 – With the takeover of HiRoller by Ag Growth International (AGI), our HiRoller representation ends after twelve years of successful cooperation
07/2013 – Major order from Russia – CARGILL orders 69 conveyors for its new plant in Novoanninskiy, Russia
02/2014 – Major order from CROWN for the delivery of 74 conveyors for BUNGE Mykolajiw, Ukraine
01.07.2014 – After 55 years in professional life, including 40 years in management positions, 30 years in executive management and 22 years in his own company, Hans-J. Ilchmann steps down as Managing Director of ILCHMANN Fördertechnik and hands over to his son Tim
01.07.2014 – Tim Ilchmann is appointed as the new managing director of ILCHMANN Fördertechnik GmbH
14.08.2017 – Celebration of the 25th anniversary of ILCHMANN Fördertechnik GmbH. The company now designs and supplies over 3,000 conveyors (trough chain conveyors, bucket elevators, belt conveyors, screw conveyors, sidewall belt conveyors and gridle pocket elevators). Its international customer base is growing steadily, particularly in the oilseed processing industry. In addition to numerous special conveyors that meet highly specific customer requirements, many large-scale projects are also being successfully implemented.
2017 – This year also marks a record year: due to the high order situation, additional reliable manufacturing partners are found in Serbia and India. At times, up to five manufacturing facilities work simultaneously for IFT.
09/2017 – Exim Solutions takes over representation in Ukraine
10/2017 – Major order from Turkey – Abalioglu orders 67 conveyors
01/2018 – Major order from ADM in Straubing for 27 conveyors
02/2019 – Major order from CROWN for the delivery of 34 conveyors for an oil mill in Hungary
11/2019 – Exim Solutions takes over representation in Russia
03/2020 – With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, IFT switches to working from home within a very short time. Microsoft Teams is introduced practically overnight.
05/2020 – Start of cooperation with new partner Brolam Sp. z o.o. in Poland
08/2020 – Major order from CROWN for the delivery of 32 conveyors for an oil mill in Russia.
01/2021 – Our long-standing quality assurance employee Dennis Reuter takes over the management of the main manufacturer SF GmbH. The company is renamed Reuter Fertigungstechnik (RF GmbH). The location in Ahlen will continue to develop positively and to a high standard in the coming years.
03/2021 – Major order from Ukraine, Adampolsoya orders 55 conveyors
08/2021 – After around one and a half years of pandemic-related working from home, all employees return to the office – combined with the simultaneous introduction of the option of mobile working on Mondays and Fridays
09/2021 – Start of cooperation with new partner Tehnodiv in Croatia
02/2022 – The Russian-Ukrainian war and the sanctions and embargoes imposed in the following weeks and months lead to a complete standstill of business in Russia
03/2022 – Major order from ADM in Mainz for the delivery of 38 conveyors
14.08.2022 – ILCHMANN Fördertechnik celebrates its 30th anniversary – a look back on three successful decades with almost 4,000 conveyors delivered and total sales of over 200 million euros